


cool like you

by sanguinedawns



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Resolved Sexual Tension, naruto basically losing his mind, sasuke is hot haven't you heard?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:28:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24436687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanguinedawns/pseuds/sanguinedawns
Summary: Naruto is a patient man. Okay, he’s a man of many rules. No, wait he’s definitely someone who perseveres. Yes, there we go. A good person. So, why does god have it out for him? Is it cause he hasn’t done a prayer in a bit? He’ll get on his knees right now if Sasuke gets offhis.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 49
Kudos: 687





	cool like you

**Author's Note:**

> no thots head empty. yeah, i said i'll write canon. and i lied.
> 
> happy bday k :-) here is sasuke getting his holes smashed and naruto pinning.
> 
> spoiler: they're happy. no trauma baby.

Naruto flicks the toggle on his Xbox controller yelling at the screen as his character dies.

“Bro, what the _fuck_?”

Sasuke nudges him with his socked foot, big toe scratching under his ear, while the man is lazily spread on the couch, legs parted and a bowl of popcorn in his lap.

“Does this mean we can play Mario kart now?”

Naruto glares from over his shoulder, legs crossed on the floor, “Fine. But I get Yoshi.”

“Won’t help you win, loser,” Sasuke catches the switch controller being tossed at him, Naruto changing the consoles by plugging the other HDMI into the TV.

He grumbles something under his breath so when he comes back to sit on his spot, Sasuke hits the back of his head with the flat of his foot, “What’d you say?”

“Fuck off!” Naruto swats, cheeks puffed up in slight irritation. “All I said was you cheat and that’s the only reason why you win.”

“Yeah? I’ll start ten seconds after you and still win how about that.”

Naruto lights up at the challenge, shifting his bottom so he’s leaning against the foot of the couch, Sasuke’s knee-grazing his shoulder as he’s hunched over his legs, “If I win you have to buy dinner!”

“Hm,” Sasuke loads up the circuit map, picks Wario while Naruto customizes the jets on Yoshi’s ride. The screen counts down to one, the flag waving in front of their respective character, but instead of pressing on race Sasuke speaks out, “Ten.”

Naruto snickers next to him blitzing through the track at anything but a turtle’s speed, Sasuke keeps going next to him, “Five!”

“Couldn’t hear you. A little louder, Uchiha.”

Sasuke pinches his ear, Naruto yowls keeping a steady control on the buttons he’d been tamping down on, then proceeds to yell, “TWO.”

That brings a smile to Naruto’s face that easily morphs into half a laugh when Sasuke yells _one_ , proceeds to dash through the map simultaneously gliding off the couch cushion into Naruto’s side. Naruto pushes back, elbow digging in Sasuke’s side who tries to get on his knees, balancing his left elbow on Naruto’s massive noggin. The two tussle like this, Wario catching up to the rest of the characters, only behind Luigi who is nearing Yoshi.

Sasuke uses the shell he’d been saving to aim at Luigi but does it when he’s close enough that it bounces off of the little Italian man to Yoshi as well. Two birds with one stone and all of that.

Naruto gapes at the screen horrified, Sasuke crosses the finish line first.

“How the FUCK,” Naruto tosses the controller on the couch and tackles Sasuke. The raven’s grip loosens around his own controller while he laughs at his friends’ less than honorable defeat, the screen still showing the final scores.

“You’re such a sore loser, Naruto!”

Naruto knocks his forehead on Sasuke’s temple eliciting painful groans out of both of them, “You’re such a dick!” Fingers tickling under Sasuke’s arms. He’s not ticklish but Naruto likes when he’s wringing in fits of laughter under him, mostly at Naruto’s expense, too unbothered to push him away.

That’s how Suigetsu and Sakura find them, both carrying paper bags of groceries, the white-haired boy announces in warning, “The homos are at it again!”

Naruto pulls up his head where he was biting Sasuke’s shoulder. He is blushing around the cheeks, Sasuke leans up on his elbows to crane his neck back at their friends, Karin and Jūgo following closely behind, “Did you guys get drinks?”

Sakura plucks out a bottle of tequila, “Hehe.”

Sasuke grins and Naruto sits back on his heels, “Don’t you have work tonight?”

“I was asking for your benefit,” Sasuke turns back to him, teasing smile tugging on his lips.

Naruto asks the essential question, “Did you get food?”

  
Karin holds up three plastic bags that smell vaguely of Chinese food, “Hell yeah, baby.”

Jūgo has got two redbox movies in their hand, “We got terminator and Die hard.”

“Oh come on,” Sasuke uncharacteristically whines, sitting up straighter, “Can you guys watch terminator once I’m home?”

“Dude, you get off at four and I don’t want Kiba quoting all through Die hard so.”

Sakura grimaces arranging the food on the low coffee table that Naruto had pushed aside to sit on the floor, “Sorry, Sas. When do you get off tonight anyway?”

“Two.”

“We’ll still be up by then,” Naruto says sifting through the food, opening one Styrofoam container after another, grinning super wide when he finds the general tso’s chicken. Picks the chopstick from the bag that has napkins and sriracha sauce. “We can just watch it once you’re home.”

Suigetsu plops down next to Sasuke, holding out snap peas to Sasuke’s mouth, he’s got Lo mein, “Midterms are over lads, ladies, theydies.”

Karin snorts passing Sasuke the beef and broccoli and a crab cake that Sakura is dividing between the group, “Did you get your grades back yet?”

“Nope,” Sasuke lifts the lid, Naruto sniffs the green vegetable and makes a moue of disgust. The raven shakes his head disapprovingly, straight-up picking up a piece of sauce-covered broccoli and lightly shoving it into Naruto’s mouth. The blonde flusters for a fleeting second before opening wide and chomping down on the stalky green. “You have to eat vegetables how many times do I have to tell you?”

Naruto is about to open his mouth to retort in a complaint but catches glimpse of the raised brow Suigetsu sends in Karin and Jūgo’s direction. The heat in his cheek doubles knowing what they’re saying in silent actions. So, he just knocks Sasuke’s shoulder in annoyance before going back to his own food.

Thankfully no one gets the time to dissect the fact he’s backing down because the door to his apartment opens again, this time with a loud bang, “I brought booze!”

“He _had_ booze,” Sai pushes Kiba in who is carrying two cases of beers. “Isn’t it proper etiquette to wait for everyone before eating?”

“Oh bite it Sai,” Sakura rolls her eyes, hand stretching out holding the soup dumplings to him.

Suigetsu beckons Kiba forward, “I texted you we got liquor on the way home.”

Kiba tries and epically fails at whispering, crouching down to Suigetsu’s height, “Yea, but Karin likes tequila and I didn’t want to drink straight petrol tonight.”

Karin harps on, “Oh so watered down piss is the better alternative?”

“Yes!” Kiba rebuttals.

“How much did you have already?” Suigetsu pulls him into his side, “Be honest.”

Kiba smiles kissing him on the mouth, “Food! I want food.”

Sakura offers, “Everyone here likes tequila except you Kiba.”

“That’s because you’ve all got rotten taste buds,” he argues, “Besides, Naruto doesn’t like it either. He just wants to get wasted so he can cling onto—”

Naruto shoves the box chicken wings in Kiba’s hands, “Your food and now shut up.”

Sasuke whispers next to him, “You don’t like it?”

He can feel the hot breath on the shell of his ear, he stabs a piece of chicken covered in brown sauce, “I mean, it isn’t the most pleasant tasting.”

“Huh,” Sasuke teases, “Baby.”

“Oh fuck off coming from someone who is a bartender and can’t even hold his liquor!”

Sasuke moves away a bit, and the tiny voice in Naruto’s head kicks him for being stupid, not embarrassed per se but definitely feeling called out, “Yeah, yeah.”

They move on to other topics of conversation. Sai talks about the gallery that has been talking to him about hosting an exhibition for their recent projects. They all know each other from friends of friends, college and for some, it goes as far back as childhood. At the cusp of adulthood most of them fresh out of college and others continuing their higher education they congregate from time to time to have meals together more often than not.

Each one of them comes from smaller towns, in the massive mammoth of a city that pulses around them, so it was easy to gravitate to each other. A subway ride away, Karin only two blocks down from Sasuke and Naruto’s building, others settled on campus. They’re each other’s family away from family.

Naruto stands outside the bar; he forwent the light jacket Suigetsu had thrown at him because c’mon it’s March does he really have to bundle up at this point?

Yes, the answer is yes. Because the city is bipolar and it’s 2:05 AM on the dot and he’s freezing his balls off. Fucking fantastic.

The door to the establishment swings open, he is too busy rubbing his chapped hands together to create some friction of heat to take notice who it is.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hi to you too, fuckface,”

Sasuke raises a brow, the sky-blue coat over his white Henley and skinny jeans, “Why are you out here in a t-shirt?”

“Because its March?”

“Translation: you’re an idiot.”

Naruto flips him off, arms encasing his chest, “Are you done or what?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke smiles nodding down the street, so Naruto jogs up to him, “It’s cute you came to pick me up.”

“Oh, sod off,” Naruto pushes him, “The dickheads wanted me to get ice cream.”

“So, you came to my workplace? Sorry, Naruto the strawberry shortcake we serve isn’t what you’re looking for.”

Naruto can’t stop himself from smiling, “You’re an asshole how do I live with you.”

“If you didn’t have me no one will remind you to pay the water bill,” Sasuke pointedly says.

“Ah, yes, I keep you around for those big brains.”

Sasuke nods at that, “Begs the question why I keep _you_ around.”

“I’m irresistible?” Naruto makes a kissy face, and Sasuke pushes him away. He doesn’t even care that his heart is in a frenzy. He’s too used to the feeling. It’s like a second beat over the steady thrum of the regular knocking in his chest. Like his own skin and flesh and bones. Like his own name. You don’t exactly get surprised over the existence of such things because they are as they are: present.

His teeth chatter though so it doesn’t have the intended effect. Sasuke rolls his eyes before shrugging off his coat and pushing into Naruto’s chest, “Here before you catch a cold.”

“What happened to idiots not catching colds?” Naruto’s fingers burying into the folds of the soft material. He slips it on because it smells like Sasuke; warm things, good things, a hint of jasmine, and Sasuke.

Sasuke scoffs, he’s wearing a long sleeve shirt, so he fares fine besides out of the two of them the raven always runs warm so.

They stop at a bodega where they buy the biggest size of vanilla bean ice-cream available. Sasuke turns his nose at that so Naruto remedies the purchase by buying a packet of hot takis and tossing it at the man. He also adds chocolate syrup to the items.

When they arrive back at their apartment, their friends are cocooned in various positions. Jūgo is the one who takes the ice cream from them, “We were just about to start the movie.”

Sasuke thanks them taking off his boots, Naruto doesn’t bother shedding the coat, just plops down on the couch. Kiba is curled into Suigetsu’s chest snoring away, so the thing is a tight fit but Sasuke still manages to squeeze so he’s next to Naruto.

They watch terminator on full volume. Kiba wakes up and decks Sai for laughing at his bedhead.

><

The club has strobe lights. Naruto squints when the rotating beams hit him in the face. He weaves through the crowd on the dance floor, sweat sticks his shirt to his back, but the bar is in sight! Holla!

Naruto trips not seeing the step that leads up to it but thankfully a steady hand catches him, Suigetsu’s voice bellowing over the pounding music, “Easy there, puppy.”

He grins a little excitedly, “I got a huge commission. No holding back, Hōzuki.”

The white-haired man laughs, lightly flicking the hoop on Naruto’s ear lobe, “Are you buying then?”

“Stuff it,” Naruto sticks out his tongue, from the corner of his eye he catches Karin grinding on Sakura and turns away, sipping his drink, “Sasuke said he’d get mine since he’s proud of me.”

He beams as he says it. Of course, its live bait for Suigetsu, “Oh _he_ is proud of you, huh?” Wiggles his brow obscenely. The alcohol braces the blush rapidly spreading from his cheeks down his neck.

“Where even is he?” he asks coyly, clearing his throat.

Suigetsu snickers tipping his head to the wall, Sasuke propped against it, drink in hand, laughing at whatever Jūgo and him are discussing. He rarely gets the chance to let loose like the rest of them because of his job hours, and school, but it’s nice to see him relaxed in his element like this.

Naruto tries not to think about how nicely the silky plum-colored shirt stretches over his shoulders. It ends right above the top of his jeans. He’s even gone as far as accessorizing with a simple thin gold chain that drops a teardrop-sized circular pendant right on his chest.

“Close your mouth you’re drooling,” Suigetsu taps below his chin.

Naruto blinks ready to turn to defend his reputation. He wasn’t staring! He was simply seeing where the other man was. But Sasuke’s eyes find his in that fleeting moment, absolutely, inexorably, grounding him to his spot.

Sasuke gives him one of those teasing smiles, the helix piercing on his left ear glints under the lights and nods his glass in Naruto’s direction.

Goddamn, he feels weak in the knees.

“Fuck me,” he curses under his breath.

“Literally been begging for it all your adult life,” Suigetsu tsks on his side, mocking in disappointment.

Naruto punches his shoulder, “I hate you.”

“Bro just suck his dick. I bet he’d even thank you.”

Naruto’s ears are so red, he hisses, “Were you raised in a barn?”

“No, but _you_ were.”

“Shut up! Stop talking. In fact, you are no longer allowed to talk about this subject ever again.”

Suigetsu mimics him waving his hands around, “I am helping you. Take it from me and maybe you’ll get a good lay every night.”

Naruto’s eye twitches, “The only reason you and Kiba are a thing is because I introduced you. You ingrate.”

“And every time we—” Naruto’s eyes widen so comically huge that Suigetsu doesn’t finish his thought, “You’re a bum. What’s the point of pining if I can’t make fun of you?”

“You’re pining?”

Naruto freezes at the sound of a throaty voice. Sasuke’s voice always sounds so full. What the hell is his issue. Wait. How much did he hear?

Suigetsu sips on his drink. Fucking asshole. Naruto turns on his heels, and okay, wow, Sasuke is closer than he thought. They’re almost chest to chest, “Ice cream. Dessert. I am craving some real bad so.”

Sasuke looks at him weird then out at the crowd, Jūgo is now talking to a guy, Sakura and Karin nowhere in sight meaning they snuck off to the bathroom for a quickie. Then darts back to him, “in a few? We can stop by Insomnia after this.”

Naruto readily nods. Eagerly almost.

Sasuke slides his glass on the countertop, holding up a finger at the bartender ordering three shots, the ring on his index finger drawing Naruto’s gaze.

They do shots together, all three of them, Naruto puckers at the taste, the burn down his throat pleasant, and Sasuke hums closer to him, “Did you wanna dance?”

Is he dumb? Like why would he offer this up to him on a silver platter?

Naruto blinks a little dazed, “Like. Together?”

Smooth Naruto. Smooth.

Sasuke’s tongue rolls inside his cheeks, there is a smile in those devastatingly mesmerizing black eyes, “Yeah.”

“Sure, yeah. Sure.” Naruto sounds like a broken record player. Jesus Christ can he get it together. Sasuke looks past Naruto’s shoulder at Suigetsu, “You wanna come?”

Suigetsu waves them off, “Nah, you kids go have fun.”

Naruto follows after Sasuke but quickly turns around to look at Suigetsu and mouths _oh my god_. Suigetsu holds up his fist and index finger making an obscene motion. Naruto is struck in humiliation, but he can’t yell at his friend because Sasuke calls out to him.

Suigetsu laughs as both men disappear into the crowd.

Sasuke loosely clasps fingers around his wrist pulling him through the sweaty bodies. Naruto doesn’t think too much about it. They’ve danced before. No biggie. Sure, Naruto has a continental crisis after it but a few minutes of grinding on Sasuke? He’d be pretty stupid to turn that down.

Firm hands come to his hips, Naruto easily sways closer, the music rhythm guides them. Naruto can tell Sasuke is a bit drunk. Enough where he feels like doing this. It’s cute how his personality sorta loses that crisp edge.

To be fair, Suigetsu tells him it’s the love goggles he’s just attuned to Uchiha’s cute stupid.

Naruto loves the cute stupid bite him?

The song changes from the slow, sexy number to a more fun pumped up one. For a moment he is disappointed. He wanted to rub up on Sasuke because on the dance floor everyone does that. He was looking forward to the same treatment too.

Except. You know, love goggles be darned.

Sasuke’s smile brightens, loses the teasing bits, turns that honest cute one he gives Naruto, and only a handful of people. And he puffs his cheeks and wiggles his head side to side, and Naruto is on cloud nine.

L word type of cloud nine. But he’s not saying that because that is so not the vibe.

The beauty mark hiding on Sasuke’s temple peaks out and then hides away with each shake of his head, bangs moving out of the way. Naruto’s shoulders rise and fall, they jump at the chorus and move their arms like chickens clucking during the middle part of the song. _What a dork_ , Naruto thinks. And when the singer croons the high note in the bridge, they both imitate her, Naruto barreling forward in a heap of limbs and smiles.

Feet stumbling over Sasuke’s.

Sasuke catches him by the waist. Chest to chest. Breath to breath. They laugh together.

He looks at him. Properly, the wide grin still in place, and Naruto has seen more romantic comedies than one person should be proud of admitting. This is where he’d be kissed.

Some stupid twit though pushes into them and his head butts into Sasuke’s nose. They both groan, and spill into peals of laughter when they see the red on the brown of Naruto’s forehead and the tip of Sasuke’s nose.

This is fine too. Kiss or not.

><

Naruto is a patient man. Okay, he’s a man of many rules. No, wait he’s definitely someone who perseveres. Yes, there we go. A good person, works hard for a living as a freelance graphic designer, a filial son—he sends money home every month!—and amazing friend. So, why does god have it out for him? Is it cause he hasn’t done a prayer in a bit? He’ll get on his knees right now if Sasuke gets off _his_.

Subject A: Uchiha Sasuke. 24. Fine as hell. Like capital F with a dose of sexy on the side is currently arched over a motherfucking purple yoga mat strengthening his core.

Naruto is homicidal.

“Can you tell me why you can’t do this in your room?” he grates, eyes fixed on his computer screen, the photoshop psd open for the past fifteen minutes showing the fruits of his labor by the single wobbly line he’s drawn in that time.

Sasuke’s stupid crop top kisses the planes of his stomach, he stands on the ball of his feet before arching back into a bridge on his palms, “Because your room has the balcony? The fresh air is good for concentration.”

He can feel his eyes rolling to the back of his skull. At this point he’ll have an aneurysm he’s sure of it.

“Right,” Naruto clears his dry throat but bitch there is nothing to clear he’s dry as the Sahara out here, “Any chance you can do it after I’m done with this commission?”

“Oh, I’m sorry am I disturbing you?” Sasuke doing the downward-facing dog.

Naruto makes the mistake of turning to him, Sasuke lifting his head, his hair tied back in an apple hairstyle. Ass up in the air.

Someone shoot Naruto. Please.

“Wh—What?” he stutters. God, if you’re out there, please crack the earth open, Naruto pleads.

“I said was I bothering you?” he’s shifted into the extended puppy pose, chin digging into the mat as dark eyelashes swoop up to ask him.

Naruto has the perfect view of Sasuke’s ass. He’s mortified so he looks away. Like he doesn’t belong here because he doesn’t. A man’s out here feeling a stranger in his own goddamn room.

“No, no you’re fine,” he grabs his phone, waving Sasuke, “I just remembered I need to make a call.”

“Yello.”

“What are the chances of you saving me if I jump into the Hudson?”

Suigetsu laughs catching up, “What did he do now?”

“He’s twisted like a pretzel in _my_ room like a fucking Olympics gymnast for crying out loud.” He heaves in a long sigh, “What do I _do_?”

“Man,” Suigetsu releases breathily, “you’re so screwed.”

“I wish I was screwed,” Naruto desperately cringes into the speakers, “I wish I was getting my brains screwed but no I have to sit there work on a commission while he’s stretching like a rubber band.”

“You think he does it on purpose?”

Naruto starts, “What do you mean?”

“Get you all riled up like he has to know you have a thing for him, right?”

Naruto’s ears are burning, scratch that his whole face is on fire, “Well can he say something instead of this. What does he want me to do? Pop a boner and confess my undying love?”

“I mean,” Suigetsu yawns, it’s three in the afternoon why is he yawning, “Worth a shot.”

“Not helpful.”

“Just get into your work. Ignore him.”

“The image of him bent over that mat is burned into my retinas I’m sorry I stopped computing everything else because I want him bent over for me not some stupid core exercises. Or me for him, I’m not too particular.”

Then pauses, “But like with feelings.”

“You’re disgusting I hope you never get a date,” Suigestu groans.

“You’re literally in love with someone you hypocrite!”

Suigetsu scoffs, “Yeah but you’re all gooey on main dude. Reel it in.”

“Why did I call you? All you do is make me feel bad!”

“Aw, don’t cry puppy, I’ll throw a bone. Tell him how you feel and _then_ get your brains screwed.”

“Just for that I’m hanging up.” Taking in another deep sigh, Naruto tracks back to his room, Sasuke’s looking at the prototype designs he’d drawn the other night, drinking water out of his bottle.

He says, “these are really good.”

Naruto beams, chest cinching, eyes softly drinking in the grey sweatpants, the bottle green crop top, the wavy hair.

“Thank you.”

Sasuke picks up his mat and heads towards the door, “I should start getting ready for work.”

Naruto says, “Hey Sasuke.”

“Yeah?”

He fidgets once before deciding, “I don’t mind you doing yoga in here.” That comes out fine, he’s pretty proud of himself, but then he sees Sasuke lifting his shirt to wipe the wetness of his mouth, the sweat between his brows. Naruto’s stomach whooshes a flame, and he rectifies for his crumbling sanity, “Only when I’m not working on a commission!”

Sasuke smiles around the material, tugging the corners of his lips up, eyes catlike sharp, “Noted.”

><

Naruto gets sick in the middle of May. Like the tragedy, aside from it being a summer cold, is the fact that he’d been looking forward to the weekend for the past two weeks. It’s the first time in so long he’s properly free. A whole weekend to himself; no responsibilities, no social obligation, nothing, nada, cero, zilch.

But now he’s in bed wrapped like a burrito blearily staring at his laptop screen binging all of the stranger things season all over again. Sasuke opens the door of his room, Naruto can feel the fresh air slipping in, can feel that stale-mucus soaked odor coming from himself. He really, _really_ doesn’t want Sasuke to see him like this.

Which is stupid. They’ve been best friends since the womb like Sasuke has seen all his horrible phases. Even middle school when he had braces and awful acne. But that was then, and this is now, and he has this curated image as the cool guy—ok maybe not cool. But he’s cute. He has that on record.

There is absolutely nothing cute about sneezing snot into the growing pile of tissues on his side, and the long sleeves of his comfy orange crewneck, and puffy red eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything before I leave for work?”

Naruto jerks up his thumb giving Sasuke the go, the boy sticking at the entrance after Naruto yelled at him earlier in the day. He speaks around the wad of phlegm in his throat, “Go, go. You’re getting late.”

“What are you going to do about food?”

 _Die_. Actually, in a perfect world, Sasuke would be his loving doting boyfriend who would know he is craving the chicken noodle soup from that one shop in queens that are definitely violating at least 10 health code rules, but Sasuke is _not_ his boyfriend. And Naruto is miserable and just wants his stupid soup, and a stupid boyfriend who he can octopus style wrap around while they watch stranger things.

But no life isn’t fair like that now is it!

He grumbles under his breath, “There is still some box mac and cheese I’ll eat that.”

There is a soft shuffling and Naruto’s nose makes a gross sound, he reckons Sasuke’s left already, but then the man speaks. There go the vestiges of his crumbling self-esteem, thank you very much!

“Okay, I turned up the thermostat so you can sweat the fever. I’ll be back a little after one.”

Naruto gives an incoherent mumble.

He gets thru the first five episodes of season one. The gang finally coming up with a plan to kill the Demogorgon when he hears the click of the front door. He frowns to himself, twisting in the folds of the comforter, and it’s at the first sound of steps that his eyes widen.

It’s silly. He can tell by the way he walks that it’s Sasuke. They are airy, each step, not heavy at all. There is a microwave beeping. Then more steps. Naruto’s bedroom door opens to Sasuke in a loose red t-shirt, basketball shorts, but before he can even begin to formulate a question, he notices a plastic container in his hand.

Naruto’s chest gives out.

Sasuke joins him in bed, nose pinching as he takes off the lid, passing Naruto a stack of napkins and the tray he brought along so they don’t spill everywhere. There are two spoons on top of the napkins.

“What episode are we on?”

He speaks over the emotion, the phlegm, the ache in his throat, “Nancy just went to the Upside down.”

“Cool. I didn’t miss the best parts,” he drags up the leg that was hanging off the edge, an arm going behind Naruto’s shoulder as he gets comfortable against the headboard.

Naruto’s heartbeat is on his tongue, the pulse rolling over the tiny bumps.

They share the soup. It’s so rich and so warm and clears his sinuses and makes his belly happy.

Halfway through episode eight, Sasuke’s fingers are gingerly playing with a fold of fabric at the end of Naruto’s short-sleeve shirt. For someone so congested, fever running up to a 101, he can still feel the pricks of heat the intermittent touch that fleets over the skin of his exposed arm.

Naruto asks, still fixated on the screen, half leaning on the headboard and half slumped into Sasuke’s side, “What about work?”

Sasuke turns to him giving a quick glimpse, looks back at the laptop hoisted in Naruto’s lap, knees pulled up the slightest, “Called out.”

“And went all the way to queens. At this time.”

Sasuke shrugs, “You feel better?”

Naruto shimmies down more into bed, the back of his head touching Sasuke’s stomach, his hand falls down too and is now more cozily wrapped around Naruto’s shoulder, fingers going all the way to his elbow.

“Mhm,” he nods into his chest.

  
“Good,” Sasuke replies. He casts his other hand over his forehead checking for temperature, “Your fever seems to be breaking. I should get you Tylenol before you fall asleep.”

Naruto does feel sweaty around his neck and back, so he nods. However, once Sasuke begins to slip from the space he’s occupying next to him he instinctively reaches for his shirt, “Right now? It can wait, can’t it?”

The delirium of fatigue, sickness, all things Sasuke must be getting to him to say something so bold so easily. If his face wasn’t already burning from the fever Sasuke would’ve noticed the stupid blush. The other man immediately goes back to his side, doesn’t even tease.

Naruto revels in the little victory.

><

When commissions draw close Naruto stresses to the absolute max. He only inhales ramen and lives on the powder Gatorade that Sasuke keeps telling to stop drinking like its water.

But that’s how he functions and gets the creative juices flowing. This company has hired him on contract not just for an odd job so he’s going to be working with them for a while. Working on contract is nice because it guarantees stable income and he doesn’t have to divvy up the bigger commissions to last him until he gets another gig. He’s helping the lead product design team with stuff. Sure, he primarily works as a designer, but he’s still got a computer science degree under his belt.

Naruto deletes the layer he was working on to start on a new one, draws over the preliminary sketches in smoother lines and uses the zoom tool make them neater. He’s been at it since Saturday and it’s Thursday now. The project is due tomorrow at noon when they have to present it to the board.

Personally, he doesn’t have to go into the meeting since the rest of the team takes care of it. But the guy responsible for the whole setup, Yamato, is quite taken to him and wants to onboard him as a permanent fixture of the team.

Sasuke’s in his room studying for the summer course he’s taking. Not even part of his Master’s degree just something on the side to bolster his already stellar resume. He taps away on his laptop while Naruto works on his assignment. He remembers a psd from college that he can use and rolls in his chair to find it, opening drawers and boxes and turning his room nearly upside down until Sasuke catches him, “What do you need?”

“I had this frog USB I took everywhere in undergrad I can’t find it,” he rakes a hand through his hair, it’s kinda oily from not showering. Wow, he fucking stinks and the guy of his dreams is right there. Naruto cringes inwardly hopping on the ball of his feet, “Fuck it, I probably left it at mom and dads. I think I’m going to shower.”

Sasuke gives him a pensive look before nodding. He grabs his towel from the closet and goes to the bathroom. Under the shower he thinks how he’ll need to work on the additional design since he doesn’t have the USB on hand anymore.

“Blah,” he yells into the stream of water. His shoulders slacken, “this is so not relaxing.”

An image of Sasuke sitting on his bed legs crossed, a soft tee on, his fluffy black hair pops into his head. And immediately his bones feel like goo. He looks down and flusters where his next thought goes, “I really need to get over it.”

He’s been religiously chanting that mantra for the past 12 years.

Once he gets out, proud of himself for curbing the blooming desire in the pit of his stomach, he wraps the towel around his waist and treads back to his room. Sasuke’s where he left him, books splayed open, laptop in place, pencil in hand. Naruto is picking out a shirt and sweats when an errant gaze lands on his desk. The froggy USB staring back at him mockingly.

Instantly forgoing clothes, he picks the device up.

“Where’d you find this?”

Sasuke looks up from his textbook, “You gave it me for safekeeping.”

“I don’t remember this at all,” Naruto blinks, and then a distant memory crawls forward their graduation party. “Right, I was drunk.”

Sasuke’s mouth curls in a tamped smile, “Mhm.”

“What will I ever do without you?”

“Die, obviously.”

True. He doesn’t even refute it.

Naruto gets back to work. Does it straight through dinner and midnight. He doesn’t know when but eventually he passes out on his chair, head lolling on the leather seat, until Sasuke’s shaking his shoulder.

He smacks his lips together, sleepily mumbling, “What?”

“Let’s go to bed, hrm?” he brushes the hair back from Naruto’s forehead. “You’re exhausted.”

Naruto nods, getting up and tugging off his t-shirt. Crawls into bed and flippantly points at his computer screen, “Can you check to make sure I emailed Yamato.”

“You did,” Sasuke says after clicking around on the screen. He knows his passwords and stuff as a precautionary measure.

He pads back to him assembling his books to move from the room but Naruto’s hand darts out, “Don’t you have the exam tomorrow? How much is left?”

“I’ve only got one more chapter to go over,” Sasuke says.

“Just finish it here and sleep,” Naruto sniffs into the pillow, sheets pulled up to his shoulder.

“Alright.”

Sasuke keeps his promise because only a few minutes later the lamp turns off and Naruto feels a warm chest behind him. Now if he had a little more self-restraint, he’d live with just this. But Sasuke doesn’t deny him small pleasure so he uses the pretense of sleep to settle into Sasuke’s chest, his back aligning to it. His best friend sighs in relief over tufts of blonde hair, and Naruto smiles into the tantalizing pull of sleep.

><

There is a gaggle of girls on Naruto’s left side that are being so indiscreet about eyeing Sasuke that it is actually kinda cute. One of them seems to be giving the other one some sort of pep talk, the tall brunette encourages in a brusque yet affectionate tone.

Naruto tilts his gaze back to his friend who is clearing the dirty glasses for another server to take to the back, “Do they know you’re—” then motions in quick hand movements.

Sasuke’s brow dips loftily, “And lose a whole demographic of tipping?”

Naruto barks out a laugh, “You’re terrible!”

“Hey, we got bills to pay,” Sasuke nonchalantly shrugs.

The girls finally approach them, one actually lingers closer to Naruto as the rest place their orders, the shortest one that has freckles dotting her button nose meekly asking, “Urm, can I have a cosmo?”

“Sure,” Sasuke smoothly moves around the counter working on her drink, the others had simple orders—beer, whiskey etc.

Naruto is pleasantly buzzed by this point that he doesn’t hide the obvious heart-eyes he’s making at Sasuke. Watching him move in fluid, practiced motions. In fact, it’s funny because the girl is doing the exact same.

Once he’s done, he places it in front of the customer, palms flat on the shiny counter, “Good?”

She sips, blushing. Naruto rolls his eyes because Sasuke is a dick he is (and he’s hot and Naruto secretly wishes he was at the end of the flirting even if it is for extra tips.)

“Yes,” she nods, fidgets with the napkin and reaches down into the pretty wallet hanging from her wrist, plucks out a pen and swiftly notes down her number. Hesitantly at first, but with a renewed confidence pushes the thing forward. Says over the hustle of the crowd in the bar, it’s a Saturday night so it is packed, “If you’re interested.”

Her friends cheer her on, hooting in the background. Sasuke takes the napkin with a devastating smile, his bangs prettily frame his face, and Naruto can feel his own face on fire. He nods politely tucking away the number in his back pocket.

The girl walks away to her friends. Naruto stands on the ledge of the barstool, smacking his best friend’s arm once the girls are at a distance, “You _ass!_ ”

Sasuke rolls his eyes, doesn’t even bother defending himself because one of his co-workers working the tab walk over to him. The guy is holding folded notes in his hand, “Sas those girls tipped you.”

The raven turns back to Naruto looking positively triumphant, “You were saying?”

Naruto’s cheek flush, “That desperate for tips?”

“Your freeloading is leaving a dent in my bank balance so,” Sasuke accuses. “You know what, out of the two of us, you’re the one with a whole career and I am still being shorthanded over tip.”

Naruto’s squawks indignantly, “What! I always tip generously!”

“Sure,” Sasuke says.

Naruto mulls over the lies his friend is spouting, “besides it seems your best tips come from you flirting. It’s not like you’re doing that with me.”

Sasuke refills Naruto’s glass, holds the drink hostage, and cocks his head, “Do you want me to flirt with you?”

Sasuke is playing him.

Maybe it's not even intentional, but it doesn't matter. It's like every opportunity he gets, he gets Naruto going like crazy. Soft touches, these little secretive looks on his faces, the way he says things sometimes. Naruto is convinced Sasuke doesn't even realize he's doing it, but he _is_ doing it.

Naruto bites his tongue, he’s so hot under his neckline, “I mean, I’m just saying it could make a difference.”

“Hrm, touché,” Sasuke debates inwardly, slides the glass over, and whispers into the shell of his ear, “Would taking me home help?”

Ok, fuck that. He knows exactly what he is doing.

Naruto chokes on the first sip. Coughing into a fit.

Sasuke puckers his lips in a kiss at him, soft smacking sound, and walks away when called by another customer, feet dragging to the other side of the counter.

“ _Fucker_ ,” Naruto blushes, another body slams into his side, Kiba’s distinct voice buzzing in his ear, “Naruto! Found you!”

Suigetsu comes to his other side. “Took you guys long enough.”

Kiba proudly shows all his teeth, “We got distracted.”

Naruto glances at Suigetsu who dodges his eyes, tapping fingers on the counter ahead of him, “Oh you guys are disgusting.”

“Don’t be jealous just because you’re not getting laid.”

Kiba yips like a puppy, similar to Akamaru, “You know who _is_ about to get laid?” Addressing Sasuke’s approaching figure, “Sasuke here.”

Suigetsu’s eyes are as big as golf balls, signaling his boyfriend to shut up who carries on without realizing the damage he’s doing. Naruto licks his lips, heart sinking with each passing moment, looking between the three men, “What do you…”

  
Kiba doesn’t hear him or is too focused on divulging gossip, leans on his elbows, “Saw you smacking lips with Neji the other night.”

The sinking feeling overwhelms him. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Nor his eyes. So, he stares at the dregs of alcohol in his glass. Suigetsu shifts a bit closer to him, a comforting hand soothing down his back inconspicuously.

Sasuke doesn’t give the assertion much thought, starts working on Kiba and Suigetsu’s regular drinks, “He kissed me. It was just a thing.”

“Like a thing for the summer?” Kiba nosily asks.

Suigetsu chides, “Let it go.”

Sasuke looks at his friend funnily at that, “It’s fine. No nothing like that. I suppose Neji likes me. But nothing is going to happen he’s not really my type.”

“Then what’s your type?” Naruto can’t even recognize his own voice.

Sasuke gazes down at him, his lashes lifting up to face the charcoal eyes, “I mean, if it’s not smart, hot, basically the whole package then what is it?”

Suigetsu clears his throat and Kiba blinks at the tension fissuring around them.

“Guess I have never thought about it,” Sasuke replies easily. “Maybe I don’t have one. Why? What’s yours?”

 _You_ , Naruto stamps down on the tip of his tongue. He grins, “maybe I don’t have one either.” Pushes back against the counter to trip out of his seat, “Excuse me, gentleman, I need to take a piss.”

Naruto splashes cold water on his face. In a vague memory he remembers a conversation he’d long forgotten, Suigetsu splayed on his bed, Naruto curled on the other side, the TV playing Sharknado.

“You know if you never tell him then there will come a time someone else will and what if he chooses them,” he had said.

Naruto splashes some water again. Neji kissed Sasuke. Sasuke said he’s not his type. Neji who is smart, comes from a great influential family, is through his second year in law school. If someone so holistically perfect isn’t the one for Sasuke well then.

He shakes his head. No time for depressive spiraling in the shitty stall of his favorite bar.

Instead of going back to the bar he staggers to the makeshift dancefloor, he isn’t even looking but the girl who had sidled up to him while the group was batting eyes at Sasuke finds him again.

Naruto lets himself get swayed for a fleeting moment. It doesn’t last long though. She’s gorgeous and he isn’t interested.

He goes straight home. Drinks more, stabs at the strawberry cheesecake pint of ice cream and watches Always Be My Maybe. When the main characters get together, he yells at the TV, “This is bullshit! This _never_ happens! He never looks at you!”

His neighbor bangs on the wall telling him to shut up so he grumbles getting up to stroll to the kitchen. He refills another glass of wine in those fancy glasses. Karin gifted it to them when they graduated undergrad in a pretense of finally achieving adulthood. Fills it to the very brim.

In the midst of setting aside the glass bottle, he trips on the bag of groceries Sasuke _told_ him to put away before he left for work and breaks the bottle. The crash comes at the expense of a shard of glass piercing the skin of his foot. The front door opens right as he screams in pain.

Sasuke calls out to him, hurrying down the hallway, “What happened?”

Naruto has fat tears in his eyes, blood trailing down his foot, he wails dramatically through a series of hiccups, “The stupid groceries tripped me!”

Sasuke’s face does that weird wobble thing where he is holding back a laugh. Naruto is so fucking drunk, so he stomps and Sasuke warily raises his hands, “Stop moving dumbass you’ll step into the glass!”

Naruto halts immediately. Sasuke picks up the big shards and chucks them into the trash can. Then moves around to clean the smaller ones. Naruto vaguely feels bad because Sasuke just got home from a long shift. Afterward, he has Naruto sit down so he can clean the wound on his foot. It isn’t huge or deep by any means.

Still, Sasuke takes care of it pedantically attentive, Naruto doesn’t know when he starts crying again. A teardrop falls on the back of Sasuke’s hand so he darts up, worriedly scanning his face, “What? Did you hurt somewhere else?”

“No,” Naruto shakes his head through an embarrassing sob. He knows he’s being stupid.

“Then what?”

“The rest of the wine went to waste,” he cries again.

Sasuke’s jaw drops, “Are you kidding me?” Slaps Naruto’s shoulder who yelps into a look of betrayal, pout on his lips, slurring out, “What’d you do that fo’?

“Cause you got hurt while trying to save the fucking $4 bottle of wine?”

“That’s four whole dollars Sasuke!”

“You’re incorrigible.”

Naruto frowns helplessly, brows strung together, “Can you not use big words I can hardly understand them sober!”

“It means you’re hopeless on all accounts,” Sasuke gets up to throws away the wrappers of the bandage.

“Aren’t you gonna kiss it?” extends his foot in the air in Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke makes a face, “What are you five?”

Naruto wiggles his toes, frowning deeply, “How will it get better if you don’t kiss—”

“I’m not kissing your nasty feet, Naruto.”

“You don’t want to kiss me?” his lips wobble, words watery.

Sasuke pauses in his actions, seriously considering doing what Naruto is asking of him only to release a long-suffering sigh, gingerly holding the man’s ankle, “Fine.”

Naruto gives a victorious grin.

Obviously, he’s too stupid to function at this point of drunkenness because he actually believes the win is in his favor. As soon as Sasuke’s lips touch the sliver of skin not covered by the bandage he realizes his terrible idea.

 _Okay, that’s enough_ , he thinks to himself. Sasuke is a right asshole because he doesn’t stop at the first press, flutters those full lips of his over the cut and past it, grazing the skin above the tape.

Without preamble, a soft moan escapes Naruto’s lips. He immediately grasps his mistake and cups a hand over his mouth. Eyes blown wide.

Too late because Sasuke definitely heard.

“What was that?”

  
“What was what.” Naruto jerks his foot back. Shakily standing on his two feet. Solid earth beneath him. He scurries out of the room fully aware of Sasuke following him.

“Did you moan?” Sasuke’s voice comes strained and Naruto is trying to get to his room so he can close the door and forget the entirety of this. A big blur of a dot in the long string of unfortunate events occurring in his life.

“No!” He tries to close the door but Sasuke wedges a shoe covered foot in between the slit keeping it open. “Go away! I wanna sleep!”

“What is wrong with you tonight? Why are you acting all weird?”

Naruto is exhausted and pretty drunk so Sasuke is able to push into the room.

“Why can’t you ever leave me alone?” Naruto fusses sitting down on the bed.

It is quiet for a moment. Sasuke comes to sit next to him. Naruto’s whole room is a museum of their intertwined lives. The shelves above his desk space have pictures from every single graduation. Sasuke’s arm around his shoulder, his own around Sasuke’s, hand pinching Naruto’s ear. There are other things too. The quilt Mikoto knitted for both of them thrown across the back of his rolling chair.

Comic books he’s collected all through middle school. The software box of the expensive digital art program he needed senior year that Sasuke bought him after taking extra shifts at the bar—working himself to the bone so Naruto didn’t have to drop from the course and lose his minor degree.

The trophies, medals, from their junior football—soccer—team that they were part of back in high school. His diploma sits there too. The sliding door to his closet is tugged open, the sweater he stole from Sasuke three years ago peeking behind the only semi-formal blazer he owns to use for interviews. Usually, after years of wear, sweaters start pilling but that one so soft, the material so nice, if he remembers correctly one of Sasuke’s aunts gifted it to him on his 17th birthday.

Naruto had no remorse in stealing it for himself.

Lost in the past, in the memories they’ve built around each other, he is momentarily transported to an easier time.

Sasuke faintly says, somehow bolstering another reverie, “Na-na, is everything okay?”

Naruto’s breath hitches, head jerking to the side to face his best friend. He mumbles, “You…you haven’t called me that in ages.”

Sasuke knocks his shoulder into Naruto’s, head cocking to the side, a smile chasing to show teeth, “I’m not a toddler who can’t pronounce your name anymore.” Leans back on the palm of his hands, “And you haven’t worried me like this in a minute.”

“There is nothing to worry about,” Naruto confides.

Sasuke reaches out to brush back his hair from his forehead, the persistence bounce of his hair has the strands falling back into place, “It seems as if you’re upset about something.”

He savors the touch, confesses, “Just. Do you ever want things you know you can’t have?”

Sasuke speaks like he’s talking from a rueful experience, “All the time.” There is a glint in his eyes that corrode Naruto to ask the story, to share this mutual feeling, “Doesn’t stop me from wanting though.”

“Neither me,” Naruto smiles. “We have that in common.”

“We do.”

“What do you do?”

Suddenly the distance between them is nonexistent, diminished to the breath of space which pockets their exhales. Naruto’s eyes pulled down like magnets to the soft resting pout of Sasuke’s bottom lip. In the haze cottoning the amber lighting of his room, the lamp the only bit warming the space, he leans in, “When you can’t stop?”

Sasuke mirrors him. The tip of their noses bumps timidly. The raven angles his head to the side, Naruto’s hand crawls closer to Sasuke’s flat one—near but not touching. The tension crackling between them can be cut with a knife. Naruto can feel the pulse back on his tongue.

Maybe he’s stupid. Chances are he is. But Sasuke’s nose now nudges into his cheek while his mouth is millimeters away from his. Stupid sounds brilliant right about now.

Unfortunately, lady luck doesn’t think so because a shrill ringing snaps them out of the daze. They both spasm back like rubber bands snapping back into place, faces warm from their almost mistake, and stare at each other in bewilderment.

Sasuke clears his throat looking away first, “I should get that—my phone.”

“Right, yeah,” Naruto nods hastily.

That’s how the night ends in a very terrible possibility of an: almost.

Almost.

><

Suigetsu is tanning. Or whatever the equivalent to is when you are on the beach under an umbrella shielding yourself from all sunlight.

“You’re like a vampire,” Naruto kicks his shin holding a volleyball. “A brown vampire. How subversive.”

“Very,” Suigetsu flips him off, whining into the makeshift pillow he’s made out of Sakura’s pink backpack, “What do you want?”

“Get up, I need more people on my team.”

“Go ask Sai.”

“He doesn’t believe in team sports.”

“What does that even mean?” Jūgo joins them. “I keep asking him but every time he speaks, I lose track.”

“No idea. Help me get Suigetsu up,” Naruto employs assistance.

Jūgo crouches down to wrangle an arm under Suigetsu’s stomach, propelling a wail out of him, “Oi! What are you doing?”

Jūgo shakes his head like the obvious, “Helping you get up?”

“Jesus Christ,” he stands and narrows his eyes dangerously at Naruto. “Why couldn’t you just be on Sasuke’s team.”

“Because they’re being awkward.” Jūgo is a traitor!

Naruto balks at the divulging of his personal affairs, “This is _so_ not the libra-libra solidarity the stars want us to have, Jūgo.”

“Oh god, you didn’t even know what a libra was until two months ago.”

Naruto tuts in disappointment, “there goes the Aquarius being a piece of shit.”

“That’s it I’m going to deck you,” Suigetsu jumps at Naruto who barks laughter, putting up his fists in exchange after dropping the ball on the ground. Sasuke advances them, “What are you guys doing? The girls are tired of waiting.”

Karin hollers in agreement. She’s standing next to the net.

Naruto discreetly steps away from Sasuke. Or well, he _tried_ being discreet but Suigetsu still catches him. Sasuke does too. Settles it with an exasperated sigh, “Are we playing or?”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead I’m coming,” Suigetsu flits his hand. The rest leave but he pulls back Naruto by the shoulder. “I thought something was up. It’s not both but just _you_ acting like a twat. What did you do?”

Naruto’s brows form an offended wiggle, “Why do you always assume I did something? Maybe Sasuke did it this time, huh!”

“Because Naruto, my sweet, stupid boy. You’re a fucking imbecile.”

Naruto really needs better friends. “Hey!”

“So, what did you do you clown?”

Twitching a bit, feet digging into the white sand, he mumbles, “We kinda. Urm. Almost kissed?”

“Holy shit? You grew enough balls to smack lips?”

Naruto scuffs Suigetsu’s shoulder, “For once in your life can you not talk like that! Also, no! Nothing happened because your stupid boyfriend interrupted us by calling Sasuke.”

Suigetsu snickers merrily, “Kiba the cockblock.”

“Literally though.”

They divide into teams of four. Sai being the referee. Sasuke has Karin, Jūgo and Ino meanwhile Naruto’s got Suigetsu, Kiba and Sakura. They call halftime when Naruto’s team catches up the two-point difference. Scattering to replenish with water and using the time to put on more sunscreen.

Naruto is gulping down the water watching Sasuke evenly rub the cream over the curve of his toned arms. He doesn’t give a shit about being inconspicuous right now. Everybody is fucking naked around him damn.

Kiba flippantly comments, “Ino is so pretty.”

Naruto gives him a disappointed look.

He defends, “What! I’m just saying. You’re telling me you don’t think so?”

Sasuke tosses the sunscreen at him which he catches, takes a seat on the sandy floor, knees pulled up, arms stretched over them loosely holding a water bottle. Suigetsu who is next to him pipes up, “Naruto’s above looking now. He’s grown.”

“Shut up,” he avoids Sasuke, lathering himself in the product. “She is pretty. Everyone knows that.”

“She is,” Sasuke agrees. That catches his attention, he tips his face down at him, “What?”

Naruto shrugs, “Didn’t realize you noticed.”

Sasuke smiles sardonically, “Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I don’t have eyes,”

“That’s not what I was implying,” Naruto’s mortified like he’s being scolded for making a childish mistake.

Sasuke shrugs, untwisting the cap of his water bottle and bringing it to his mouth, “She’s cute and bubbly. I see why guys like her.”

Suigetsu gobbles that up, “Oh ho ho, Mr. Uchiha likes them cute and bubbly.”

Naruto’s face burns. Isn’t he…kinda sorta also fitting for that description?

“Go eat a dick, Sui,” Sasuke flips him off.

“Gladly,” he retorts, making grabby hands at Kiba’s waist and pulling him down, “Kibaaaa!”

Jūgo is the one who notes, “Blonde too.”

Everyone freezes. Naruto can hear a distant crashing.

 _What_.

Sasuke clears his throat. Is he blushing? No. Sasuke doesn’t blush but there is a faint, very subtle, trace of embarrassment pricking the nerves of his face.

“Right,” stands up, dusting his swimming shorts, “Round 2?”

Naruto’s jaw slackens. Suigetsu hurriedly smashes to his side, whispering in his ear, “Seems like the not kiss wasn’t not nothing.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

><

Things go back to normal around the end of June. Naruto gets over himself and they fall back into their weirdly, overly affectionate routine of best friends who squabble over everything and do quite possibly everything together. Back in college, Naruto had a dreadful realization that maybe it isn’t so good to be attached at the hip. At the time he was going through a purging phase: No Sasuke = No feelings. Right?

Wrong!

That had ended up with them having a huge fight and not talking all the way through sophomore year. Sasuke even roomed with Suigetsu and not him. Naruto was ruined in the most dramatic sense of the word. And then summer came, and they went home, and their mothers weren’t aware of their stupid late teenage hormones instigating the Worst Fight in the Sasuke and Naruto History. The unabridged version which included the punches and vitriolic attacks from middle school.

Yes, somehow college-gate was so much worse. Because Naruto needed structure and Sasuke was its spine.

The separation did, however, teach them how to function on their own. That’s when Naruto had declared his major and Sasuke had gotten accepted into the honors program for math students.

Over the summer though it was easy to fall into a routine, crashing at each other’s houses and all. Naruto apologized the night after Sasuke’s 20th. Sasuke did his own amends.

This wasn’t like that. This barely lasted a few weeks. Naruto knew it was a sign of how much they had grown since then.

Mid-July Sasuke receives a response in regard to the internship he applied to at the beginning of the spring semester. A position as an intern data analyst at a pretty reputable firm. He’d been waiting to hear back for almost six months now. Though to be fair the application process didn’t end by March, Sasuke was just overtly responsible in terms of deadlines and shit.

Couldn’t be Naruto. He’s out here scrambling to finish commissions until the very last moment.

They’re sitting in front of his MacBook. Gmail pulled open.

“Do you want me to click it?” Naruto offers.

Sasuke shakes his head, releases a puff of breath, getting his bearings, “No, I’ll do it.”

“See it this way,” Naruto rubs his knees, feeling the tiny hairs under his palm, “if they don’t hire you, I’ll just have to egg their headquarters.”

Sasuke laughs, hand flying over his keyboard, “I’m not bailing you out of that one.”

“I’ll take it.” Naruto sees the email load open. Eyes skimming the contents rapidly. Sasuke must’ve done the exact same because they look at each other at the same time. Sporting matching expressions of joy.

“I did it,” Sasuke says.

Naruto repeats in added vigor, throwing his hands everywhere, “You did it!” Chest filled to the brim in happiness his hands settle down on the Sasuke’s face. Fingers tamping down faintly on the cut of his jaw.

He isn’t really thinking. No thoughts whatsoever when he leans in and presses his lips to Sasuke’s in an unbridled excitement, “You did it!”

FUCK.

He pulls back with a start. Sasuke blinks once, and then pushes forward and kisses him, “Fucking finally.” Naruto falls back onto the couch everything moving so fast his brain hasn’t stopped to think what’s going on until their mouths knock together clumsily, teeth everywhere, hands finding purchase in folds of clothes, hair, skin.

This is pretty much straight out of his wet dream. Sasuke on top of him kissing him. That thought comes to a screeching halt, he puts a palm on Sasuke’s chest, “wait!”

Sasuke immediately listens. Stays close though.

Naruto chews the inside of his mouth, “What is going on?”

“I am trying to kiss you,” Sasuke says.

“Okay, but like.” He looks at the TV, the laptop that’s gone to sleep, then Sasuke’s face, “Why?”

“What, why? You kissed me first.”

“Yeah, but I have a reason. Do you have a reason—”

Sasuke releases an exasperated sigh, “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m just saying—like we should talk like grown adults.”

“You ate cereal out of a take-out container yesterday because you were too lazy to wash the bowls.”

Naruto rolls his eyes, he’s on his back and starting to feel very vulnerable and attacked in this position thank you very much, “I didn’t say anything about self-respecting adults, Sasuke.”

“Fine,” Sasuke gets up. Altogether. Starts moving out of the room. Naruto scrambles after him. “I don’t know what I have to do for your dumbass to realize what’s going on here.”

Naruto balks at that, “Excuse me, what does that mean?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Sasuke looks a tad unhinged, Naruto stays his ground though, he shall not be scared. “Naruto please for once in your life use that brain of yours. How many best friends do you know that live like us?”

Naruto isn’t dumb he’s aware that sometimes they really do blur the lines of friendship. Like there is no reason for them to be so close.

“I haven’t dated anyone in years and nor have you,” Sasuke breaks it down for him like it’s a PowerPoint slide he’s spent years putting together, “Jesus, your parents don’t even clean the guest room for me anymore. They just assume I’ll be sleeping with you.”

“They’re being courteous! They know we are more comfortable in each other’s company.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m very comfortable in a full-sized bed without you panting into my neck like an oversized dog that never learned not to cling.”

Naruto gasps, “Take that back! You know my septum is deviated!”

“Oh, shut up,” Sasuke does laugh at that. “can’t you _see_?”

“What? All you do is parade around expecting me to know shit when you don’t tell me anything. Like how am I supposed to know anything if you won’t tell me?”

“Context clues?” Sasuke is being patronizing now.

Naruto huffs, “Like?”

“Like me flirting with you at my workplace.”

“You flirt with _everyone_ at your workplace.”

“For tips,” Sasuke clarifies, “With you, it’s a personal gain. You can’t be this stupid. We literally go to clubs and only dance with each other.”

“A lot of friends dance together,” Naruto is starting to lose ground. He was sure he had more instances in _his_ bracket.

“Uh-huh,” Sasuke agrees, “See how that worked out for Sakura and Karin.”

His face is one fire. He is slowly losing traction of his own argument, they’re closer now, standing only a few feet apart. He wades a hand between them, “So, what? Are you saying you want this?”

“I am saying I am out here doing the fucking Kamasutra in front of you every other day when I regularly go to the gym—”

_He was doing it on purpose! Suigetsu was right!_

“Well damn do it with me then!”

Naruto really needs that brain to mouth filter to develop. Sasuke’s face breaks out into a grin.

Alright, maybe just not yet.

“Oh,” Sasuke steps forward, pulls him by the string of his sweatpants. “Are you going to start using that pretty head of yours then?”

“You know if you say it like that it only makes me not wanna.” Naruto does preen at being called pretty; that’s neither here nor there though.

Sasuke undoes the knot so the sweatpants hang loosely around Naruto’s hips, tugs him by the stringy cord into his chest, bites down on Naruto’s bottom lip, “You’re insufferable.”

Imagine sirens singing at the gates of heaven. That about sums how Naruto feels right now. Like whoever is up there has finally answered his prayers and he’s struck gold. No better than the gold he’s found the whole damn mine.

He nods his head with an effort, tipping forward by the drag of Sasuke’s sharp teeth. 

One second they’re standing. The next moment Naruto is pushing Sasuke into the brick baluster holding the beam above the windows, sweatpants wrung loose below his waist, one leg slipped between Sasuke’s who’s got his own leg over Naruto’s. Sasuke’s arm curled under his armpit to grab onto his shoulder, the other one cupped around Naruto’s neck to angle his head so they can kiss properly. Naruto is positioned similarly, fingers buried in the wealth of Sasuke’s hair and one hand cinching the fabric of his shirt.

Sasuke curls him closer, parting his mouth to push his tongue out, he licks the swell of Naruto’s lips. Use the tip coax the top from the bottom and finds the heat of his mouth. Naruto’s senses have gone fucking haywire. There is a nose nudged into the side of his cheek and his own hand snakes up to gently place the heel under Sasuke’s chin and the rest of the fold on Sasuke’s cheek.

It’s only four in the afternoon. The sun is out, and their living room has huge windows that let in abundant sunlight. For a Wednesday it is pleasantly quiet, the only sounds filtering in from the blinds are that of the passing traffic, birds chirping, a really, really, faint song playing somewhere on the street.

Inside the apartment though all that peaceful semblance loses luster. They’re dry humping each other after months of tension pent up between them.

Naruto detaches from Sasuke’s lips to trail wetly down his jaw to behind his ear, inhaling him as he peppers down the arch of his neck, “Is this too fast?”

“Not after how long I’ve been waiting,” Sasuke drags his palms down the cinched hem of his sweatpants to his crotch, cups his hardening cock in his hands. He gives one good squeeze, Naruto moans into his collarbone biting down there. That will leave a mark.

Sasuke moans too, quieter than Naruto’s loud one, but it is there. Naruto considers it a victory.

Naruto jerks up in Sasuke’s hand, the raven laughs from his throat pulling up Naruto’s chin, “Someone’s excited.”

He grins cheekily. Noses brushing in a light kiss, “Do you have any idea….”

The breathlessness is contagious because Sasuke carries it too, kissing Naruto’s mouth fully, “Lubes and condoms?”

“I’ll get it,” Naruto says that but keeps kissing Sasuke. He pulls away to step on the pants that are dragging a little on the floor and tugs them off entirely. Begins to journey into his room but immediately springs back into Sasuke’s arms who takes him easily, mildly scratches the nape of his neck as they lazily makeout for several seconds.

Steps away again to press a kiss to Sasuke’s fluttering eyelashes, on top of his cheekbones, bites his ear lobe and Sasuke titters in a reminder, “ _condoms_ , Naruto.”

“Yeah, I’m going, I’m going,” he keeps kissing him, teases the skin below his jaw between his teeth only to lave over it, “One moment.”

Sasuke pushes him finally, Naruto trips on the sweatpants on the floor and grumbles running to his room, shouting back, “Don’t leave!”

He faintly hears the, _where would I go_?

Naruto rummages through his drawers. Goddamnit, he has to have condoms somewhere sure he hasn’t fucked in a minute but come on now.

“Naruto?” Sasuke calls out.

Like a tiny miracle, he finds a box wedged between old stylus pens and staplers and broken paintbrushes. He grabs it and the lube from the dresser running back to the living room.

“Sorry it took so long I could not find any condoms for the life of me—I mean—I just haven’t had to—oh,” he stops the rambling because Sasuke’s folding his shirt to put it on the chair adjacent to the wall. Standing in nothing but his boxers, he replies, “What?”

Naruto’s chest gives out like a balloon, it feels great, he blushes stupidly and shakes his head.

Sasuke’s rakish smile pinches his face handsomely, beckoning him forward, “Come here now.”

Naruto must really be a puppy. He’ll have to kick Suigetsu’s ass for instilling that into him. He crosses the distance, drops the lube and condoms on the windowsill, “Got the stuff.”

“I can see that,” Sasuke winds an arm over Naruto’s shoulder, slouches into his body, bare feet tangling with Naruto’s, “Kiss me.”

Naruto kisses him. Properly, wetly, with tongue, explores the roof and the pearly teeth.

“Hold on, I’m gonna take this off,” Naruto says about his shirt, but Sasuke’s grabbing along the hems, “Let me.”

“Raise your arms.”

He’s only gotten it over his head, arms still up in the air, that Naruto pushes forward to slant his mouth over Sasuke’s, “Couldn’t wait,” he mumbles cutely. The shirt drops in a soft thud. They both leave hot trails of kisses until Naruto’s getting on his knees, mischievously he grins up at Sasuke who arches a pointed brow.

Ghosting his wet mouth over Sasuke’s clothed erection, he sucks a bit. Hollows out his cheeks and revels in the way Sasuke’s fingers fist his hair to keep him in place.

“Didn’t take you for a tease, Naruto,” Sasuke’s gravelly tone makes him stand up. Naruto licks around his lips, digs fingers into the garment to push it down Sasuke’s ass, “I’m only getting started.”

He puts a finger in his mouth to wet it and then reaches behind Sasuke to drag the finger down his ass to his rim, nimbly circling it. Sasuke’s soft _oh_ is swallowed by Naruto’s mouth.

Sasuke says hotly into his mouth. They’ve both discarded and tossed aside their underwear.

“I’ve got an idea,” Sasuke blindly reaches for the lube. Naruto pouts because they aren’t kissing anymore. He’s discovered that kissing Sasuke is a lot better than imagining kissing Sasuke. Who would’ve thought, right? “Give me your hand.”

“Why?” Naruto watches Sasuke squeezes the lubricant on his fingers then repeats the motion on his own.

That’s how Naruto ends up with his cock being pumped in Sasuke’s hand. His finger is tracing Sasuke’s rim before prodding in, a small hiss escaping him, Naruto offers through gritted teeth, “Hold onto me.”

Sasuke works him up to full hardness, every flick of wrist releasing a loud moan out of Naruto, he pants into Sasuke’s ear, “We could’ve been doing this all this time—”

“Because we’re idiots,” Sasuke’s sighs, gives a good tug to Naruto’s cock and when Naruto groans again, he laughs, “You’re _so_ loud. Like I knew that already, but this is…”

Naruto uses the distraction on Sasuke’s end to pull his asscheeks apart with one hand, slipping in another finger to knuckle. Sasuke careens forward a little in surprise, his own grip around Naruto’s cock loosening as the blonde scissors him open. Crooks his finger at an angle that elicits a shuddering wave of arousal across Sasuke’s features.

Mouth parted open, hair an unruly mess of waves, eyes darker than coal.

Naruto is sweating so much because it’s summer and their bodies are stuck together in this angle, he feels a bead rolls down his spine. A tad confused, “You knew?”

Sasuke jerks his wrist in a circular motion one last time, Naruto bucking into his fist, filthy sounds filling the honey-bright room. Roguishly Sasuke confesses into the shell of his ear, tongue lapping over the hoop in his ear after he’s bitten the soft skin, “You’re not as subtle as you think you are in the shower.”

He blushes realizing Sasuke’s heard him. He’s even more humiliated realizing Sasuke probably knows he’s been thinking of him.

“Fuck off,” he buries his nose in Sasuke’s shoulder, “You could’ve said something sooner you know.”

“I was waiting for you to,” goes around to give Naruto’s wrist a squeeze, “One more finger.”

Naruto pushes him into the wall, Sasuke smiles into the next kiss expecting the third finger to go inside him. Easing on the fingers, Sasuke takes him into the knuckles, licks his lips in that tugging smile.

Naruto matches it with his own, brushes his mouth over the cheekbones, little jolts going through Sasuke as he fucks himself deeply on Naruto’s fingers, “Can we do it like this?”

Sasuke’s mien falters into one of hopeless adoration, “yeah.” Asks for the condom that he slips on Naruto. “I’m ready now.”

Naruto feels legs wrapping around his waist as he props Sasuke against the wall, keeps a steady hand under one of his fleshy thighs, their skin glistening with all the sweat between them.

Sasuke’s nails dig into Naruto’s shoulder as he lines his dick with his entrance, leaving behind half-moons once Naruto is buried to the base. Licks up the cartilage of Sasuke's ear where the tiny hoop dangles, the helix. 

“God, you’re so…” Sasuke breathes. The thing is Sasuke doesn’t speak in half sentences or incoherent thoughts. He knows what to say, how to say, when to say.

Naruto’s never seen him like this. So wrought in pleasure as he rocks into him, palms wrapped around his legs, and chest pressed in Sasuke’s. He flushes all the way down to his cock, looks down to see where it disappears, right where he’s buried into Sasuke.

“Look at me,” Sasuke softly says, index and middle finger folding Naruto’s ear between them.

Naruto’s gaze automatically pulled up, gasping quietly, “ _Ss’k_.”

He didn’t know he could feel this good. Sure, part of him imagined how sex would go. But nothing prepared him to the fluttering feelings going through him. Sasuke’s thighs braced against his hips, he’s got some real muscle there to be holding so firmly as Naruto rocks into him, “The yoga works.”

Sasuke laughs, neck arching back, and Naruto immediately relishes in the access, peppers kisses up the smooth brown skin, “It does, it does.”

With Sasuke’s cock bobbing against his stomach, he sighs a little as he takes Naruto deeper. They build a rocky rhythm laughing in intervals at the way the humidity makes Naruto’s hair poof up.

“Sasuke, this feels good,” his breath punched in half, “really, really good. You feel really good.”

Sasuke arms wrapped around his shoulder move up a little, the desire vibrating up his spine, “Shut up Naruto.” There is a blush to his cheeks. Naruto will ignore the more realistic assumption of it being from the sex and aptly believe it’s because of his words.

To his surprise, Sasuke admits breathlessly, “You feel really good too.”

“Really?” huge blue eyes turned inky sapphire.

Sasuke asks, obviously endeared, “Is this so unbelievable?”

Naruto doesn’t embarrass himself further. Picks up the pace, and Sasuke’s grip on him tightens, he huffs out, “Go faster.”

So, Naruto does. Touches Sasuke everywhere. He’s toned and tight and lean and Naruto is fucking him. Sasuke grinds down by the roll of his hips while Naruto’s holding him up against the wall. He thinks that’s hot. 

They come in a shuddering climax. Sasuke’s load smearing all over his own chest. Naruto flushes seeing the remnants of what they’ve done.

Sasuke slouches his weight onto him, no longer really holding back much, “Fuck, my legs are killing me.”

Naruto maneuvers them to the floor so Sasuke’s on his back with legs stretched out. Somehow, they’ve managed to do this with Naruto still in him. Naruto’s head is on Sasuke’s chest, he is looking out at the coffee table and notices how it is uneven on one leg, and since Sasuke can’t see his face he says, “Hey, like, I know my dick is still in you and all. But, uh, what are we?”

“What?” Sasuke hisses when Naruto pulls back his head, “Naruto.”

“Oh, sorry,” he sheepishly pulls out, ready to scram, but Sasuke is guiding him back to nuzzle into his chest. “I’m cool with casual, y’know. I’m a cool guy.”

“You are not a cool guy,” Sasuke laughs lightly carding his fingers through the soft blonde hair.

“Can you let me have an edge for once in my life?” Naruto pouts by propping his chin on Sasuke’s sternum.

Sasuke leaning on one elbow to pin him down with a look, “I just handed you my ass what more do you want from me?”

“I don’t know,” Naruto thumbs the hickey blooming below Sasuke’s collarbone. “Stuff.”

“Stuff.”

“Yes.”

Sasuke remarks in disbelief, “Wow, you don’t know how to do this, huh?”

“Can you save me the lifetime of humiliation please?” Naruto mumbles.

“Fine,” Sasuke puckers, “You can ask do you wanna go steady with me?”

“That’s what I would say if it was 1952.”

“Actually, we’d be in the closet in 1952,” Sasuke corrects.

“Dude. True.”

Sasuke asks, pushing back Naruto’s fringe, “so do you wanna go steady with me?”

“If that’s what you want,” Naruto tries to appear nonchalant, cool as a cucumber. In reality, all the tiny Naruto’s in his brain are currently trying to contain the fire blitzing through him, “yeah, I mean, whatever.”

Sasuke pinches his hip and Naruto yips head knocking into the other man’s chin. They both tumble into a tangle of limbs and laughter until Naruto’s wrapped like an octopus around Sasuke. He muses, the warmth spreading all through him, “So this is what it feels like.”

“What?” Sasuke kisses his forehead.

Naruto cuddles closer, pressing softly into Sasuke’s cheek, “Nothing.”

><

“Hey, so you never told me when did it start for you?”

“Oh, that’s a pretty embarrassing story.”

“What?” Sasuke pokes his stomach, “Naruto, tell me.”

“Maybe some other time,” Naruto shifts on top of Sasuke’s chest and sleepily promises, “A very later time.”

><

(Naruto blinks dumbly at Sasuke. Sasuke just trusted him with some super classified top secret information. And he is a good friend. The _best friend_. So, he’ll keep it a secret. Yes, he will.

“That’s so cool, Sasuke,” Naruto is twelve he’s never met a boy who likes boys and this boy is his best friend. His best friend is so cool.

Sasuke looks slightly ruffled, “It’s not cool you’re just an idiot.”

Naruto frowns and pushes him. “I’m being supportive! You’re cool!” Then adds on because his mom says when someone tells you something important it means they trust you, “Thank you for telling me.”

Sasuke nods. Since Naruto is curious and doesn’t know he’s putting his foot in his mouth, he asks, “So are you going to kiss a boy at the formal.”

His friend shrugs, “I don’t know. I’ve never even kissed anyone.”

Naruto has the brightest idea of his tiny 12-year-old life, “I’m a boy!”

“Thanks, I’ve noticed,” Sasuke rolls his eyes.

Naruto shakes his head not even slightly deterred, “You can kiss me, and then you’ll have the practice so you can kiss other boys.”

“What?” Sasuke glances around the bleachers, they’re waiting after practice for Itachi to be done, “Are you sure?”

“What are best friends for?”

Future Naruto will kick himself several times over that statement.

Sasuke nods then, knees lightly knocking into Naruto’s he leans forward, “Ready?”

“Heck yeah,” Naruto grins. Sasuke presses his mouth to his. Now Naruto heard Shino talk about kissing a girl once at the start of the school year. She was pretty and thought he was cute even though he liked bugs and stuff! Shino said her lips were soft and tasted like strawberry lipgloss.

Sasuke doesn’t taste like gloss. In fact, he tastes like cotton, his mouth is soft too, and Naruto can smell the mint altoid on his breath. Sasuke pulls back, a peachy glow to his brown skin, “That was nice.”

Naruto realizes in that stupidly reckless moment how fast his heart is beating, how his cheeks are burning because he lost his first kiss to his best friend.

Sasuke, his best friend, who likes boys.

And Naruto who likes Sasuke.)

><

“A very, very embarrassing story.”

fin

**Author's Note:**

> please comment and leave kudos. my crops are dying.


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